Archived Guidance

Please monitor this site for updates on COVID-19 testing options for residents and fellows experiencing related symptoms and/or exposures.

Below is guidance for residents and fellows from GME leadership, along with Hospital Epidemiology/Infection Prevention updates based on the current situation with COVID-19 regarding residents and fellows. Please review the Faculty/Staff web-page as well.

Please note that many things are changing rapidly. Pay close attention to individual hospital policies, which will be more specific to your current patient-care areas. When you have questions, please contact your Program Director, who may redirect you to infection prevention/control or occupational health at your site.

Senior residents and fellows will continue will continue to be involved in evaluation and treatment of patients with suspected respiratory illness, including those suspected of [patient under investigation (PUI)] or confirmed as having COVID-19. Programs are in the process of determining the engagement of PGY1 residents. If you have an underlying medical condition that would put you at risk for caring for COVID-19 patients, please discuss with your Program Director.

For now, all sites are following CDC guidance for N95 respirators, plus facemask or goggles, and contact (gown, gloves) when treating these patients. Online updates on how to don and doff the N95 respirators will be made available on the EVMS website. Due to a shortage of N95 masks, on-site fit testing will not be conducted. Residents/fellows with beards/mustaches are encouraged to remove the facial hair to help ensure an appropriate mask fitting.

If residents or fellows experience an exposure from a patient with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, the resident must don a mask and contact the hospital’s Infection Control Officer immediately for exposure recommendations. The resident/fellow must also notify the Program Director of the exposure.

Residents and fellows with symptoms of COVID-19 (i.e., cough, fever, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing) should stay home and follow the notification policies of their department, including contacting the Chief Resident, Program Director/Program Coordinator and the supervising physician at the assigned clinical training site.